Have you ever, or do you know own/ride a motorcycle?

I have never been on a motorcycle, but often have thoughts of trying it. There are a lot of Harley owners in my part of Colorado, but there is also a BMW/Ducati dealer in my town. I have often wondered what it was like, if it was tough, fun, scary, and if I could try it out without spending too much cash on lessons.
If it takes, then maybe a basic BMW or Ducati to cruise around on?

How many of you have motorcycled in the past, or still ride now...

You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone

You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart

None now but I have owned four. Not hard but lessons are a good idea. Find a local ABATE chapter and they can point you in the directions for lessons. They generally have bikes for you so maybe take the lessons before you buy one.

“As soon as public service ceases to be the chief business of the citizens, and they would rather serve with their money than with their persons, the State is not far from its fall”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Have often been tempted, mainly just as a way to beat the traffic on the way to work. My brother has about three bikes and loves it ( A BMW for touring, a Japanese sporty one and a Japanese Suzuki or something for commuting). The driving test here for a bike is rock hard though, apparently (a lot harder than the car driving test).

The other half has a Honda VFR (bigger than crotch rocket smaller than a rolling couch) We ride out in the woods some when the weather is nice. We are both tall so my legs cramp after 45 min so we stop frequently. Never thought Id be a "biker chick". Oh yes and we both are head to foot covered with full face etc. Even in 80+ weather Ive got gloves, heavy pants, boots...I dont want to have road crap hitting me or YOWCH ciccadas (sp?) that hurt like a MF even in full leather.

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO- HOO what a ride!'"

I dont want to have road crap hitting me or YOWCH ciccadas (sp?) that hurt like a MF even in full leather.

Try a full grown pheasant sometime... lucky it was on the shin, but it still hurt like hell.

“As soon as public service ceases to be the chief business of the citizens, and they would rather serve with their money than with their persons, the State is not far from its fall”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO- HOO what a ride!'"

Many years ago I rode a Honda 150cc and didn't care for it at all. Holds really no interest for me now, so I won't be going in that direction.

AIB PG and giff, here in Indiana, helmets are not required by law. Lots of folks -- really lots of folks --ride without them and all I can think is how many accidents are caused by bugs flying into the riders face?

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO- HOO what a ride!'"

Probably half of my mountain bike buddies have moved/switched over to dirt bikes, they hold no interest to me.

I've only ever ridden on the back of big touring bikes. It is really cool to be at a bicycle world cup on a closed course and tearing through the streets of montreal at 120km an hour, coming up on the peleton, slowing and riding with them, taking pictures then pulling away.

Maybe someday, i'd think of getting a touring style bike, maybe.

My Administrative Assistant's husband was hit be a deer last year on his brand new bike, on its first long trip. He ended up pretty bruised up, but wearing leather and full gear saved him too much pain.

Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....

"Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how." -- Edward T. McMahon, The Conservation Fund

My father has worked for Harley Davidson for over 30 years, so YES. At one point when I was a teen, we had one car and five hogs in the garage.

My first was a 1975 90cc AMF Harley Davidson. It was basically a dirt bike. The only one I bought myself was a 1999 Harley Davidson Sportster Hugger. Sold it as a part of the divorce. Don't miss it though. It was built low-to-the-ground, and when I rode it, I must have looked like a bear on a tricycle.

But actually my first ride was on a huge harley behind a Priest. I was scared to death but figured I was in safe hands. Father John was a friend of my uncles, that was a pretty cool trip as I remember. My Uncle followed us in a cadillac that he owned that had previously been owned by Elvis, but I stray.

I have never driven one myself, but my previous husband had one that we rode alot. Kawasaki Vulcan. Really nice bike. Their was a group of us that rode regularly.
I have a tee shirt that reads: Butt Naked, Beer drinkin', Bar hopin', Biker Babe.
I never really thought it matched my personality but it was fun none the less. It was my mid life crisis period.

King B owned a Harley as a young man and we have talked about getting one but are actually talking about maybe a touring trike.

Been a "biker babe" for over 15 yrs. My other half has a 1981 Honda CVB 650. All I can do is ride behind him since my legs are too short for the machine. If you're just starting out lessons are the way to go! Also, start with something under 500cc since you may be picking the darn thing up occasionally as you practice. Full leather, full helmet, drive safely!

Living and dreaming are two different things-but you can't do one without the other."
-Malcolm Forbes

I worked at a Honda shop selling them for a summer. I wanted a CBR so badly that summer. I decided to stay with going fast on 4 wheels instead, but with the price of gas increasing, who knows.

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. Time makes more converts than reason." - Thomas Paine Common Sense.

For my last 2 summers in college (15 years ago), I worked the assembly line at the Harley engine plant. It wasnt until a few years ago that I surpased that weekly income. Imagine working third shift (shift bonus) on July 4th (triple time) and raking in over $60 an hour for light duty work.

I had been thinking about this off and on for a while. Even when my friend died in a motorcycle wreck in AZ. (Going very slow, slipped while turning on gravel, not wearing a helmet... ) Even still I have thought about it.

I would definetly take lessons, the local Harley D holds classes, but then a I would get a basic bike, and probably only ride it on smaller roads instead of highways (until the confidence is built up)

Who knows, I may stick with a regular bike for a while... it's a little cheaper...

You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone

You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone
-Peart

Just the other day Katie and I were watching the movie "Easy Rider". If you younguns' haven't seen it, it was a couple dudes on big bikes, crossing the southwestern and southern USA. The music was all 1960's.....fun stuff like "Born To Be Wild", "The Pusher", etc.

Remember, Katie is fifteen (15) years younger than this ole' Bear so she was asking questions about the times, the looks, the culture.....as we viewed it. She said to me, "How come you never got a motorcycle?"

There was, of course, a litany of excuses, including young child, college costs, trying to work at the same time as going to school, alcohol, etc. For most of my senior year in high school I rode to school on the back of an Italian bike owned by my best friend. I wanted a bike real bad at that time but Dad so "no way".

Since everything is still attached to my body (legs, arms, fingers, head) I should thank him, in my dreams (sorry Jamie Foxx).